A few weeks ago, bay area DJ Robert
Shank pointed me to a Youtube video on the history of the "Amen
Break", a well known music clip that has been sampled on a countless
number of records, first by hip-hop producers in the late 1980s,
followed by the creators of the early drum & bass "jungle techno" mixes
of the early 1990s. If you are a fan of drum & bass, you will quickly
recognize the distinctive snare hit, originally recorded by the The
Winstons, a 1960s era funk and soul outfit.

The name "Amen Break" comes from the song "Amen
Brother"; the song where the break is sourced from. "Amen
Brother" is a gospel song that the Winstons covered in 1969, released as
the B-side of the "Color Him Father" single, released by Metromedia
Records (MMS-117). "Amen Brother" is is currently available on several
compilations and on a 12-inch vinyl re-release.

Narritive courtesy of
Mobius32: This fascinating, brilliant 20-minute video narrates
the history of the "Amen Break," a six-second drum sample from the
b-side of a chart-topping single from 1969. This sample was used
extensively in early hiphop and sample-based music, and became the basis
for drum-and-bass and jungle music -- a six-second clip that spawned
several entire subcultures. Nate Harrison's 2004 video is a meditation
on the ownership of culture, the nature of art and creativity, and the
history of a remarkable music
clip.

Special thanks to DJ Robert
Shank for directing me to the Amen Break video.